Aluminum Sheet Metal Bend Radius

Larger bend radii require about the same force for bottoming as they do for air bending however smaller radii require greater force up to five times as much than air bending.

Aluminum sheet metal bend radius.

Table 1 preferred recommended 90 degree bend radii for various sheet metals. This is done through the application of force on a workpiece. Divide 50 by the material s reduction percentage as specified by the material supplier subtract by 1 and then multiply by the plate thickness. It is possible to choose other bends if you require but additional lead time and tooling charges may apply.

The force must exceed the material s yield strength to achieve a plastic deformation. Since commercial sheet metal bending can be done with less concern for stresses caused during forming operation the radius can be near zero for thin sheet metal. The material thickness will be measured in decimal form not by the gauge number. Still if you want to avoid cracking abide by the minimum bend radius in 0 25 in thick 6061 t6 which is quite large see figure 3 and avoid bending acute angles.

Say you get a print that says you need to bend a part to an external angle of 100 degrees that s an internal angle of just 80 degrees. The bend allowance formula takes into account the geometries of bending and the properties of your metal to determine the bend allowance. In a previous bending basics article you mention a material s tensile reduction percentage used for calculating the minimum inside bend radius of various metals. Also known as press braking flanging die bending folding and edging this method is used to deform a material to an angular shape.

Radii for various thicknesses expressed in terms of thickness t. The bend radius you select may not be available if the geometry of the part will not allow us to bend with the specific tooling required to achieve that radius. Recommended minimum bend radii for steel and aluminum. Bending is one of the most common sheet metal fabrication operations.

The minimum bend radius data shown in these charts is measured to the inside of the bend. Per the aluminum association inc. You described a rough rule to find a steel s minimum bend radius. The tables below show bend radii and minimum bend sizes for materials and tooling combinations stocked by protocase.

Aluminum where necessary 5052 h32 may be bent to 1t and 6061 t6 to 1 1 2t. You will need to know your material thickness mt the bend angle b the inside radius ir and the k factor k. The bending radius must be at least 0 8 t to 2 t for sheet steel. Advantages of bottoming include greater accuracy and less springback.

Sheet metal bend radii if these guidelines are not followed more research and or some form of analysis may be requried. We go beyond the general rules of sheet metal bending as our customers want tight bend radii for sheet metal parts.